We Like Making Our Own Stuff

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The time will come when I will make my daily trek out to the garden and be delighted to see that my first yellow crooknecks and zucchinis are ready for picking...and then there will be more the next day, and the next, and the next. It will eventually get to the point where I have grown weary of eating squash sauteed in butter, I've frozen enough of it to last me the winter, and even dehydrated thin slices of it into chips, and still, it continues to produce, and begs for me to pick it.

Which is why I wanted to share this recipe--it was a winner (even my oldest son, who is not much into squash, said that it was good).

Once the children have collected a pretty good haul of Mother Nature's gems, you can use them to make a nature collage:

The collage can be a free-flowing, abstract piece, or might make more realistic images, such as this old man, made with milkweed pods, twigs, and corn husks:

Outdoor Materials Collage
1. Collect small items from outside, such as pine cones, small sticks, pebbles, or seed pods.

2. Use a sturdy material as your canvas, such as cardboard or tag board. It can be small, like a post card, or large, like a poster.

3. Older children may be able to use a hot glue gun (or an adult could do the gluing), otherwise, just use regular white school glue. Be sure that your outdoor pieces are not too heavy, otherwise they will fall off.

I check labels carefully before I purchase any food product, and I am not thrilled by what I see on most chocolate syrup or chocolate milk labels:

Once in a while, the kids like to have some chocolate milk, or some syrup drizzled on their ice cream or yogurt. I have been avoiding purchasing any chocolate syrup, however, since most of them contain high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, and other questionable ingredients.

That is why I prefer to make chocolate milk at home, rather than using the ready-made stuff. By mixing my own with syrup, I can control how much sugar the kids are getting, plus it allows me to use good quality milk from pastured cows.

I found a recipe for chocolate syrup in an old cookbook that is corn syrup free, and found that it turned out wonderfully. The recipe calls for only five ingredients (and only takes about 20 minutes to make):

Cocoa Powder - Look for "dutch process" cocoa powder, as it has the best flavor.Sugar - I used organic sucanat…

If you are looking for a good way to use up some eggs, try this delicious twist on deviled eggs--these are made with avocados and plenty of savory seasoning. They are also mayonnaise free, and contain only healthy fats.

I have included instructions for hard cooking your eggs because it is important to have eggs that are easy to peel. That way, you aren't tearing up the whites, which can be quite frustrating! I have been using this method of boiling eggs for years, and find that the eggs not only peel easier this way, but the yolks will stay a nice bright yellow.

Most chicken owners know that their full grown hens and roosters should have access to a dust bath. Usually, if they have enough space to roam outside, chickens will find their own favorite spots to bathe in the dirt (annoyingly, ours picked right in the front yard by one of our big spruce trees--they are lucky I love them).

I discovered a unique, but speedy, idea for a Halloween centerpiece or decoration.

I was going through some Halloween stuff that used to belong to my hubby's grandma, and came across a cute little pumpkin. I set it aside, thinking I'd use it to decorate the kitchen table, and started decorating the yard. While I was busy at work, one of my toddlers found the pumpkin, and took it upon herself to dismantle it.

I was surprised to find that the pumpkin was actually nothing more than a roll of toilet paper wrapped in fabric! I thought it was a neat idea, especially if you needed a last minute decoration. Even if you didn't have any orange fabric on hand, I think other colors would work, and maybe even tissue paper could be substituted.

All you need is:
1 roll of toilet paper
An approximately 18" inch square of fabric
A small brown paper bag, or other brown or green piece of paper
Optional decorative leaves--leaves from outside would probably even work

Lard (fat from a pig) has been used for thousands of years as a culinary ingredient. Indeed, the fat from any animal was considered just as important as the meat (as well as the organs). During the early 20th century, something changed in the United States however; delicious lard, along with other saturated fats, were labeled as being "bad for you." Things like shortening and margarine became the new healthy fats of choice.